Inquiry & Web 2.0: Tools for 21st Century Research

Join our team to discover new Learning 4 Life strategies and tools to move you and your students toward research techniques and skills that access 21st century skills models.

Presenters: Barb Romersheuser (District Library Media Coordinator), Penny LoFaro (Library Media Specialist- Battle Mountain High School), Becky Pitman (Library Media Specialist- Gypsum Creek Middle School, and Stephen Miller (Library Media Specialist- Berry Creek Middle School).

Part 1: Wallwisher

Penny introduces Wallwisher!
A new way to lecture: “Wallwisher: Using Web 2.0 to create interactive lecture with your students”.
Wallwisher is an online notice board maker. Discussing a new idea? Taking notes? Giving feedback? Voicing opinion? It allows you a virtual space where you can post short text notes in the same way that you could put post it notes onto a notice board in your classroom as well as text notes you can add images, video, and links to other websites. Wallwisher is a great way for students to collaborate and express learning.

Link to Penny's Wallwisher Example:
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/classideas8-2010

Examples for Instructional Use:
Use with students to introduce essential question as unit begins, have students add to class wallwisher with content reflection, links, videos as a collaborative study-guide for assessment.
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/L11ExtremeWeather

Give students a closing question in class. As an exit slip, students post a reply. Use this as your opener for the following day, asking a few students who posted to share.
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/L11ExitSlipAnalogy

Challenge students who are working on a problem-solving group work activity to brainstorm their ideas using a wallwisher.
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/L11GovBrochureGroup1

Addition links to using Wallwisher and other Web 2.0 tools:
A New Way to Lecture: by Michael Zimmer
http://www.issuu.com/mzimmer557/docs/a_new_way_to_lecture/5?zoomed=&zoomPercent=&zoomX=&zoomY=&noteText=&noteX=&noteY=&viewMode=magazine

Interesting Ways to use Wallwisher in the Classroom:
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/04/interesting-ways-to-use-wallwisher-in.html

Part 2: Evernote

Becky presents Evernote using a brief research example. In order for our students to critically evaluate research, we need tools for them to collect and gather from credible and valid resources. Evernote allows your students to take ANY type of resource and save that information into one location for note taking, collaboration, and project creation.

Evernote Presentation

Additional reading for Evernote:

http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/evernote-will-organize-your

http://www.tipb.com/2010/08/18/iphone-work-high-school-student/

http://theunquietlibrary.wordpress.com/2010/08/06/students-give-evernote-and-diigo-the-thumbs-up/

Part 3: Windows Live

Stephen shows us an alternate use to Google Docs!

Windows Live is an alternative to Google Docs that is far more compatible with our Office Software. After using research strategies to find data and transfer the important information into notes, it is necessary to create a final paper that will summarize findings. The online office suite is where this is easily possible. Through having students log into the website they can work on documents collaboratively in a new, student created, workspace. This feature allows students to continue to work on their projects anywhere in the world that has internet access.

Further reading on the Windows Live vs. Google Docs Comparison:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/office_live_workspace_vs_google_docs_feature_by_feature.php
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/69803.html?wlc=1282569469
http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/businessproductivity/why-microsoft/Pages/google-apps_20100816.aspx#fbid=vX5kVX1g8jC

In closing, Barb completes the presentation with a rap of the tools that were used and shares a list of e-textbook and e-book resources. Attached is the list complied by Barb